NightLight™ Sleeping Pad (3/4 Length)
I have a full length Z rest now and am considering a Nightlight to reduce weight. Anybody have one and what do you think of the comfort and the bulk. Thanks
I have one that I bought on the recommendation of a fella on the AT-L list, in my quest to shave grams. It's quite light (8 oz, I think) but also quite bulky.
I could never get comfy on it. But I'm approaching geezerhood and have gotten too used to Thermarest comfort.
The NightLight is definitely more comfortable and higher quality--lasts longer. Bulk of course is the downside. Is the Torso length NightLight an option? Maybe with a partial thinlight pad? This would be less bulky. For $30 though just get the NightLight 3/4---you'll find uses for it.
GlazeDog
i've used the prolite 4, thinlight 1/4 wide , prolite 3, nightlight torso, z-lite, and the sitlight. these i've listed in order of most to least comfortable.
you may want to consider their thinlight 1/4 wide- it's the same weight as the nightlight, but ends up giving you more options. i found that folded in half, it was much more comfortable than the prolite 3. i tried all of the pads listed both on the ground as well as in a hammock. GG's pads seem to sleep much warmer than any of the thermarests. as far as durability goes, it will wear down and possibly tear(it is foam), but seems like it would be more durable than the z-lite i used for awhile. as far as transport goes, i rolled up the thinlight and strapped it onto the outside of my pack. i didn't bother with a cover and yes it did get wet. but before using it, i would squeeze out most of the water, and it was comfortable to sleep on. the thinlight wide 1/4 folded in half will give you 1/2". you can also cut it into the desired shape and use the leftover for extra support where needed.
Thanks guys, I'm probably going to give it a try and experiment with the the 1/4 or someother option.
I use the torso pad version of the Nightlight in combination with a full length 1/8" thinlight (keeps the legs warm and gives just a hair more padding for the torso). The combination of these weight next to nothing(5.6oz) and I've slept more comfortably then I did on my old 3/4 length ridgerest or my full length 10 year old regular inflatible thermorest. In fact, I now sleep better on trips then I ever did. So I hightly recommend them.
Used the NiteLite 3/4" Torso Length PLUS the 3/4" Sitpad for ~3/4 length for me (not counting under my head) since I'm only 5'4" for my AT hike. Pretty comfy. But since I used with my ultralite Gossamer pack as part of the back support it compressed over time (flattened). I knew in advance this would happen from reading forums. And it did. Bought a second one and it lasted the rest of the trip and still in pretty good shape. MEGA lightweight. And pretty comfy. I have the full length but I agree its bulky to pack.
Thermarest Ridgerest short is only 9 oz and 3/4 length. Not bad for comfort.
You really shouldn't expect much more than 40-50 nights out of a foam sleeping pad, no matter what the brand is. Plan on going through 2-3 on a thru-hike.
A full-length ridgerest AND a 3/4 prolite 3 thermarest, or better yet, a hammock.
Surfing and rereading some posts...I thought about it more. I snore - a lot at times. Was driving my thru hiker buds insane. I found earplugs for them and sleeping on my side helped a lot. But my pelvic bone drove into the shelter floor making me toss and turn a lot, often onto my back and resume snoring. I thicker pad or inflatable might have helped.
Keep this in mind if you snore and care about not irritating the crap outta shelter mates!
It's a good pad with great insulating value and comfort for a very low weight.
Downsides: The egg shaped formed pattern is only on the top of the pad, and therefore does not "nest" like a z-lite will, so it is pretty bulky. Also, that evazote foam has a pretty crap life span. I used to use the torso length version and it would be dead after a month of nights and the insulating value would start to be affected well before this. For someone who consistently spends 120 nights or so a year on my pad, it was a pain to replace it all the time.
Now I'm back to using the z-lite. Get a regular size, chop in half to make two, and I'm good for a year, easy.
I use a nightlight as my backpack (gossamer gear mariposa plus) is designed to use it as the padding for the backpack --- a very nice dual use thing.
I too am approaching geezerhood I guess (age 51), and tried sleeping with the nightlight plus a 3/8" ccf pad (also from GG). It worked, but I concluded that it's worth carrying a light inflatable, so now for summer I have a montbell UL 90 inflatable pad (10 oz or so) and use the nightlight torso pad for my legs/feet. The torso pad is great for combining pads for different outings, however; I'm doing a trip in just under a month where I'll combine it with two longer ccf pads.
I agree it won't last forever; I did maybe 300 miles of backpacking this summer and it's definitely already showing wear --- just somewhat more flat.
if used in a hammock will the same durablility/insulation issues occur as quickly?
i am assuming that the damage done is related to wear and tear from abrasion and ground damage (rocks, twigs, etc)
It would probably last a bit longer in a hammock. The wear and tear is from compression, not abrasion.
I've used mine in hammock, tent, and bivy; I suspect I get a lot of the wear on mine due to dual-using it as the back padding for my backpack. Hard to tell exactly where the wear is from. I agree that it's more compression that does it in, just gets flatter over time.
I bought a NightLite 3/4 and cut it down to 48". I've used it lots of nights (no idea how many, sorry) and it still works well for me.
Just hike.
cool, just got my 40 incher today in the mail, wow - a lot wider than i had envisioned... sweet!! can't wait to try it out, unfortunately we're in some weird winter warm up - 49 degrees today... ugh
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